Thieves are stealing antique bricks from walls in East London to sell on the black market

Police in London are investigating more than 30 cases of bricks
being stolen from buildings like churches and cemeteries in
eastern boroughs of the capital.

The bricks in question are Georgian-era London stock bricks,
which in the 18th century were the cheapest available but
today are bought for sizable sums on the black market.

These bricks have substantially increased in value in recent
years, as residents in strict conservation areas
looking to build extensions are told by councils to do so in
keeping with authentic Georgian style.

The Telegraph reports that each brick can be
sold for as much as £15 on the black market.

Police have received reports of thefts in Waltham
Forest, Newham, and other boroughs in the eastern reaches of
London, according to The Evening Standard.

St. Patrick's cemetery in Leytonstone has been targeted on
two occasions within the last month, while the caretaker at St.
Mary's church in Leyton chased off a group of would-be brick
thieves.

The cemetery's superintendant, John Sears, told The
Telegraph: "The last thing in the world you think is going
to get stolen is your wall."

As well as churches and cemeteries, family homes have been
targeted by thieves, with one resident claiming to have had over 100
bricks pinched from their wall in a matter of days.

"It's a strange phenomenon," Clyde Loakes, councillor for Waltham
Forest, told The Evening Standard, "but it does not diminish
the distress when vans are literally driving into people’s front
gardens in broad daylight.

"There are examples of people driving into the garden walls to
dislodge as many bricks as possible, scoop them up and then drive
off."

The renewed demand for London stock bricks is the result of
some London councils insisting residents who plan to
perform building work in listed areas must use materials that
match the original architecture.

If you get permission for an extension, you will have to use
materials that match the originals. You
don't want to fall foul of the rules — there is a risk the
council will say they don't match and then they will declare the
extension is unlawful. The original stock bricks are rare
and expensive and in hot demand and they want something that
looks original and old.

The elusive brick comes in different shades of yellow
depending on the clay from which they were made, and has a
distinctive black patch.

This spate of unusual crimes comes as
traders Michelmersh Brick Holdings report
the average selling price of their bricks has increased
by 9% on last year.